Best server for… pricing
Best and cheapest server for Windows Server on AWS
Updated 2026-10-19
Cheapest sensible starting point for Windows Server: t3.medium at $0.06/h ($43.80/month with Windows) on demand in us-east-1. Move up to m7i.large when you outgrow it.
Recommendations (us-east-1, on demand, Windows)
| Instance | When | Size | $/h | $/month | 3-yr RI $/h | Cheapest region | $25k credits last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| t3.medium | Small Windows utility server | 2 vCPU / 4 GiB | $0.06 | $43.80 | $0.018 (Linux) | us-east-1 $0.06 | 571 mo |
| m7i.large | General Windows app server | 2 vCPU / 8 GiB | $0.1928 | $140.74 | $0.0457 (Linux) | us-east-1 $0.1928 | 178 mo |
| m7i.xlarge | Heavier Windows workload, 16 GiB | 4 vCPU / 16 GiB | $0.3856 | $281.49 | $0.0915 (Linux) | us-east-1 $0.3856 | 89 mo |
How we chose
Sizing assumption (ours, not a vendor requirement): License-included Windows pricing adds to the Linux rate; Arm (Graviton) sizes cannot run Windows, so picks are x86.
Prices come from the AWS Price List. Treat sizes as starting points: watch memory and CPU for a week, then resize.
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Questions
What is the cheapest AWS server for Windows Server?
Cheapest sensible starting point for Windows Server: t3.medium at $0.06/h ($43.80/month with Windows) on demand in us-east-1. Move up to m7i.large when you outgrow it.
Can I run Windows Server on AWS credits?
Yes, EC2 and RDS usage is covered by AWS promotional credits; the last column shows how long $25k lasts.
Prices and credit amounts are estimates and may change. Check AWS for current terms.